Macrophage colony-stimulating factor as a tumor marker for epithelial ovarian cancer.

Objective: To determine the serum level of macrophage colony-stimulating factor in ovarian cancer patients in order to evaluate its role as a marker for ovarian cancer.

Methods: Serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were assayed in 69 patients with epithelial ovarian cancer, 55 with benign ovarian tumors, and 634 healthy individuals, including 398 women, using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay.

Results: The average serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor level was 754.4 +/- 153.9 U/mL in healthy females; 1056 U/mL (mean plus 1.96 standard deviations) was considered to be the upper limit of normal. Serum macrophage colony-stimulating factor levels were significantly elevated in patients with ovarian cancer (average 1460.5 +/- 1006.2 U/mL; P < .001) and exceeded 1056 U/mL in 42 of the 69 patients with ovarian cancer (61%). No differences in levels were observed among the histologic types. No definite relationship was found between serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor and those of CA 125. We found that 96% of the patients with ovarian cancer had high serum levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor and/or CA 125 values. There was no significant difference in the levels of macrophage colony-stimulating factor between patients with benign ovarian tumors and healthy controls. Only 7.3% of the group with benign tumors had levels exceeding 1056 U/mL.

Conclusion: Macrophage colony-stimulating factor is a marker for ovarian cancer. Determination of serum levels can be useful in detecting ovarian cancer, particularly in combination with CA 125.